Daniel Cormier did not treat Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway like a normal main-event result. In his post-fight YouTube reaction after UFC 329, Cormier’s whole point was that the card was strong, but the headliner became a massive letdown because McGregor’s knee gave out before the fight could become a real contest.
McGregor’s return ended in 69 seconds when Holloway won by first-round TKO due to injury. MiddleEasy covered the immediate result after Holloway stopped McGregor at UFC 329, and Cormier said the ending left the arena with the same deflated feeling fans had watching from home.
Cormier Says McGregor’s Opening Kick Ruined The Fight
“We just finished UFC 329 and obviously anybody knows that we had the ultimate let down. Conor McGregor was finished by Max Holloway by TKO in a minute and 9 seconds due to injury.”
“I think when there’s expectation, you can be let down in levels that you don’t know that you can really reach. And I think today was one of those moments where we were let down at a level that we didn’t think we can get let down at.”
Cormier’s read on the actual sequence was direct. McGregor opened with a running jump kick, landed awkwardly, and never looked able to move normally after that. Cormier said the problem was visible immediately, then framed the rest of the stoppage as unavoidable once Holloway saw McGregor compromised.
“The fight starts, Conor does this running, jumping kick. As he lands, you could see his knee go torn ACL. And he tries to throw a few more times, but there’s no fighting on one leg, especially against a guy like Max Holloway. It’s just impossible. It will not work.”
He did not want the reaction to become only a pile-on over McGregor choosing a high-risk opening attack. Cormier compared it to other dramatic fight-starting moments that became legendary because they worked, and said the same kick would have been praised if McGregor had landed it clean.
“I think we need to be careful when we judge because there have been times where people have done crazy things to start fights and they’ve worked and we praise the athlete as if they’re some genius.”
“Sure, everybody’s mad. It went sideways, but had Conor landed that, everybody would praise him for what he did.”
Cormier Says McGregor’s Fight Energy May Have Pushed The Risk
The part Cormier spent time explaining was the emotional environment around McGregor. He said combat sports create a pressure that other sports do not, and that McGregor’s return after five years may have pushed him toward trying to create an instant highlight.
“You can do other sports, but there’s no feeling like walking through a crowd of 20,000 people into an octagon where you are locked in there with another human being that wants to take you out. There is nothing like that.”
“I have felt energy, but I have never felt energy like Conor McGregor. Even when Jon Jones and I fought, the energy in the building does not match the energy in a building when Conor fights. It’s just the truth.”
“That energy after being away from him for 5 years may tell you do something great people expect it. It ultimately led to the injury.”
Cormier also gave Holloway credit for recognizing the injury instead of chasing extra damage. Holloway signaled to referee Marc Goddard while McGregor could not move properly, and Cormier said that mattered because Holloway had clearly prepared to prove something in the rematch.
“Hats off to Max Holloway because Max recognized he was hurt. He was the one that told the referee to stop the fight because you can see that Conor’s knee was blown.”
“Max is one of my good friends. I’m happy that he ultimately got a victory. I know though that he will not be satisfied with that because Max Holloway wants to compete. Tonight he did not get that opportunity.”
Cormier Is Not Confident McGregor Comes Back Again
The hardest part of Cormier’s reaction came when he moved from the stoppage to McGregor’s future. If the injury is as serious as it looked, Cormier said asking McGregor to rebuild again after five years away is a lot, especially for a fighter with McGregor’s wealth and mileage.
“UFC 329 was more disappointing to me than Tom Aspinall Ciryl Gane because at least in that fight we saw them get after it a little bit. Tonight we did not get that with Conor McGregor and Max Holloway.”
“The question now becomes, does Conor McGregor have it in him to come back? That is a big ask, guys.”
“It’s big of us to ask Conor McGregor if his knee is blown out to go through another year of rehab, another year of the sacrifices, the pain that it takes to work yourself back to a professional mixed martial artist, especially when you have the money that Conor McGregor has.”
“If you ask me truthfully, I am more likely to tell you that it’s not going to happen than it will happen.”
Cormier still called McGregor unique and said UFC 329 fight week proved his star power. His concern was whether the public will buy into another comeback cycle after this one ended on the first exchange. MiddleEasy also covered Joe Rogan’s broadcast reaction to McGregor’s opening move and Chael Sonnen’s view of McGregor’s UFC leverage after the injury loss.
Holloway’s Corner Felt Robbed Of A Real Fight
Cormier closed the video by talking with a member of Holloway’s team, and that short exchange sharpened the same point: Holloway won, but his side did not get to show the camp they had built.
“He did the jumping kick. The first thing I thought was like, shoot, he lost his footing and slipped. When he threw another kick and slipped and fell, I was like, ‘Oh crap.'”
“This camp was special. His camp was different. I haven’t seen Max this locked in in a long time. He looks so great.”
“We were talking about like we’re preparing for the best version of Conor McGregor this whole time. But we’re really excited because we’re going to show the world the best version of Max Holloway.”
When Cormier asked whether McGregor could rebuild again if the knee was blown out, Holloway’s coach gave the same practical answer Cormier had already hinted at: the comeback would be hard because it would require both another year of recovery and the confidence to trust the leg again.
“I don’t think so. I don’t think if that knee’s blown out, man. Everything that’s going to take for him to come back, and then have the confidence.”
Paddy Pimblett Was Cormier’s Performance Of The Night
Cormier did not let the McGregor ending erase the rest of UFC 329. He said the card itself was strong and singled out Paddy Pimblett for his first-exchange submission of Benoit Saint Denis.
“It really sucks because the card itself was insane. Paddy Pimblett had a sick performance. Submitted Benoit in the first exchange. Insane D’Arce choke. Spider monkey wrapped all around his body. Put Benoit to sleep.”
“The energy that Paddy brought honestly is something that makes the UFC insanely happy. People were going crazy in here as Paddy Pimblett walked out and as Paddy Pimblett left the octagon. He’s a stud and he deserves a big fight after what he did tonight.”
That praise matched the immediate fallout from Pimblett’s win. MiddleEasy covered how Pimblett put Saint Denis to sleep with a D’Arce choke, and Cormier made it clear he saw that as the standout moment of the night.
“My Total Wireless performance of the night has to go to Paddy Pimblett in the biggest spot of his life. While the Justin Gaethje fight for interim title was big, this was bigger. He put Benoit to sleep. It was tremendous to watch.”
Cormier also shouted out Mario Bautista, Brandon Royval, King Green, Robert Whittaker, Gable Steveson, Adrian Yanez, Luke Riley, Wang Cong, Damian Pinas, Farid Basharat, Ryan Gandra, and Alessandro Costa. His overall conclusion was not that UFC 329 failed. It was that a great card can still leave the building feeling flat when the biggest fight collapses before anyone gets answers.
“Tonight showed that a great night of fights can be overshadowed by a disappointing main event. But let’s not lose sight of what we saw tonight. A whole bunch of elite athletes putting on performances of their lives.”
